King James Bible
"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."
Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2 to describe the Galileans who lived in spiritual ignorance and moral confusion before Christ's arrival. The contrast between sitting in darkness and seeing great light emphasizes the dramatic transformation that Jesus' ministry brings—from hopelessness to revelation. This intensifies the previous image by depicting people dwelling not just in darkness but in death's very shadow—a Hebrew expression for extreme danger and despair. The geographic reference connects to Galilee's history of foreign oppression and distance from Jerusalem's religious center. The verb suggests sudden, organic emergence like dawn breaking or a plant sprouting, indicating that this salvation appears unexpectedly yet naturally in God's timing. This positions Jesus' Galilean ministry as the fulfillment of ancient prophecy, bringing hope to the most desperate.